Why Buy From Orion

Beginner

Suited for a wide range of uses, Level 1 Beginner telescopes are simple to operate and set up. Some initial assembly may be required. Very good optical and mechanical quality. Great for families, young people, and folks who don't want to mess with equipment but just want to take a look. Any of these scopes will show you countless lunar craters, Saturn's rings and a myriad of star clusters and nebulas! Referring to the manual is recommended.

Have you ever planned a road-trip in the family truckster and realized that everyone's "must-have" luggage leaves precious little spare room for a telescope? Orion has the answer!

Kids and the whole family can still enjoy sharp daytime terrestrial views and night sky observations while on the road, and save storage space in the car by bringing along the pleasantly portable Orion GoScope II 70mm Refractor Travel Telescope Moon Kit. It's a versatile 70mm-aperture refractor telescope designed to pack up and go whenever you hit the road, the trail, or even the air. The GoScope II's custom backpack and small stature makes portable stargazing and daytime spotting a convenient reality, without compromising quality.

The affordable Orion GoScope II 70mm Refractor Travel Telescope features a 70mm achromatic lens system for sharp images of distant subjects. The entire refractor telescope setup and all included accessories fit in the custom-designed backpack carry case, making the GoScope II an ideal grab-and-go refractor you can take virtually anywhere. Its light weight of just 3.5 lbs. makes it easy for kids and beginners to take the telescope anywhere. It excels for daytime birding, nature study, and scenic long-distance viewing, and can also take you on visual adventures beyond the Earth's horizon after sunset for some casual nighttime stargazing and Moon-watching.

The included 5x24 finder scope makes it easy to aim the GoScope II.

The 5x24 finder scope has a 24mm lens in the front that collects light, and it has 5-power magnification so you can aim the telescope easily. After following a simple alignment procedure that parents can help with, kids can use the 5x24 finder scope to aim the GoScope at interesting objects like the Moon and stars at night, and at daytime targets like birds, boats on water, and scenery.

This convenient diagonal makes it easy to track moving birds and wildlife during the day, and also planets and the Moon at night since it gives you a view that matches your regular vision. Just insert the diagonal into the telescope's focuser, and then put one of the two included eyepieces into the 45° diagonal and you're ready to focus on stars, the Moon, and more!

Two included eyepieces provide a variety of magnifications right out of the box.

The GoScope II 70mm includes two 1.25" eyepieces. A 25mm eyepiece that provides a 16x power image, and a shorter 10mm focal length eyepiece that yields more powerful 40x views. Using both eyepieces is a great way to learn about magnification, and helps you enjoy interesting sights in the sky. Kids can start observing with the lower-power eyepiece to scan the skies easily, and then boost power up to 40x with the 10mm eyepiece for closer looks.

The included MoonMap 260 lets you learn the names of craters and other features on the Moon.

The pleasantly portable GoScope II 70mm Travel Telescope comes with the Orion MoonMap 260 ($12.99 value). Kids and adults alike will enjoy looking at the Moon with the GoScope telescope, then using the MoonMap 260 to learn the official names of the interesting craters, mountains, and other features you've seen. It will even show you where various spacecraft have landed on the Moon's surface!

The GoScope II and included accessories all fit in the specially designed backpack case.

The Orion GoScope II 70mm Refractor Travel Telescope is a complete observational system that tucks away neatly in its specially designed backpack. With the 70mm telescope, tripod, 45° diagonal, two eyepieces, 5x24 finder scope and MoonMap 260 packed inside, the backpack remains nice and light for easy portability.

You will find a lot of uses for the respectable optics of the Orion GoScope II 70mm Refractor Travel Telescope, and a lot of times and places to use them, day or night. For the price, it's hard to beat this nifty little refractor telescope.

Warranty

Limited Warranty against defects in materials or workmanship for one year from date of purchase. This warranty is for the benefit of the original retail purchaser only. For complete warranty details contact us at 800-676-1343.

Warning

Please note this product is compliant with the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) and is intended for children 9 years of age and older.

User level

Level 1 Beginner - Suited for a wide range of uses, these telescopes are simple to operate and set up. Some initial assembly may be required. Very good optical and mechanical quality. Great for families, young people, and folks who don't want to mess with equipment but just want to take a look. Any of these scopes will show you countless lunar craters, Saturn's rings and a myriad of star clusters and nebulas! Referring to the manual is recommended.

Level 2 Intermediate - These scopes offer higher performance and more advanced features than Level 1: Beginner models. They typically take a bit longer to learn and need some set-up or adjustments. But anyone with the slightest technical bent will have no problem getting familiar with these models. Referring to the manual is recommended.

Level 3 Advanced - These scopes provide the best performance but may require more skill to master and appreciate. They have exceptionally fine optics and mechanics. Some are easy to use but are but on the large or heavy side. Some are intended for specialized uses. These scopes will appeal to the more technically inclined. Referring to the manual is highly recommended.

Level 4 Expert - Expert telescopes offer uncompromising optical and mechanical quality for the most demanding amateur astronomer. They may be technically involved or designed for specialized use, such as astrophotography or detailed deep sky observation. They carry a premium price, but are designed to provide the ultimate performance in the field. Referring to the manual is highly recommended.

Optical design

Reflector telescopes use a pair of large and small mirrors to direct incoming light to the eyepiece.
Refractor telescopes refract, or "bend" incoming light to a focus by means of an objective lens.
Cassegrain telescopes, such as Maksutov-Cassegrains, "fold" incoming light using two mirrors and a front "corrector" lens.

Optical diameter

For telescopes, the optical diameter (also known as aperture) is the size of a telescope's main light-collecting lens or primary mirror, measured in millimeters or inches. Telescopes with larger optical diameters collect more light, which leads to an increase in brightness and image resolution compared to smaller instruments.

For binoculars, the optical diameter (also known as objective lens diameter) is the size of each of the front-facing objective lenses of a binocular measured in millimeters. Binoculars with larger objective lenses collect more light, which increases image resolution and brightness. Binoculars with larger objective lenses are recommended for low light situations, and binoculars with at least 50mm or larger objective lenses are recommended for pleasing astronomical observations at night.

Focal length

The distance from the center of a curved mirror or lens at which parallel light rays converge to a single point. The focal length is an inherent specification of a mirror or lens and is one of the factors in determining resultant magnification for a telescope (along with the focal length of the eyepiece being used).

Focal ratio

The focal ratio of an optical system is the ratio of a telescope's focal length to its aperture. Short focal ratios (f/5, f/4.5) produce wide fields of view and small image scales, while long focal lengths produce narrower fields of views and larger image scales.

Coatings

Binocular lenses and prisms are often coated with anti-reflective material to minimize light loss as light travels through the multiple optical surfaces of a typical binocular. Coatings help maximize the amount of light transmitted through each glass surface of a binocular, so as much light as possible reaches the observer's eyes to provide a bright and sharp image.

Good lenses are at least "fully coated," with a single layer of magnesium fluoride coating applied to each air-to-glass lens surface. Multiple layers of coatings are even more effective; the term "multi-coated" means one or more air-to-glass lens surface has multiple coatings. "Fully multi-coated" optics are even better, meaning all lens surfaces have multiple layers of anti-reflective coatings applied for maximum light transmission and optimal image quality.

Optics type

Newtonian reflectors will have either a spherical shaped mirror, which is less expensive to produce, or a higher quality parabola, which does not result in spherical aberration. Cassegrain telescopes routinely use spheres in addition to other lenses in the optical path to correct for residual spherical aberration.
Refractors use a series of lenses to provide a clear image. Designs range from a standard air-spaced doublet (two lenses in a row) to exotic designs such as oil-spaced triplets and 4-element multi group lenses.

Glass material

Refractors use glass lenses to focus the light, and the glass material plays an important role in the quality of the resulting image. Standard achromatic refractors routinely use Crown and Flint for the two elements, but more expensive apochromatic refractors can use ED (extra low dispersion) glass for one or more of the lenses. Reflector mirrors are made from glass with different levels of thermal expansion. Standard mirrors are made from material such as Soda-Lime Plate glass and BK-7 glass. Glass with Pyrex or other low thermal expansion material will not change shape as dramatically during the cool-down period, resulting in more stable images during this period.

Resolving power

The theoretical resolving power of a telescope can be calculated with the following formula: Resolving power (in arc seconds) = 4.56 divided by aperture of telescope (in inches). In metric units, this is: Resolving power (in arc seconds) = 116 divided by aperture of telescope (in millimeters). Note that the formula is independent of the telescope type or model, and is based only upon the aperture of the telescope. So the larger the telescope's aperture, the more it is capable of resolving. This is important to keep in mind when observing astronomical objects which require high resolution for best viewing, such as planets and double stars. However, it is usually atmospheric seeing conditions (not the telescope) which limits the actual resolving power on a given night; rarely is resolution less than one arc-second possible from even the best viewing locations on Earth.

Lowest useful magnification

Lowest useful magnification is the power at which the exit pupil becomes 7mm in diameter. Powers below this can still be reached with the telescope to give wider fields of view, but the image no longer becomes brighter at a lower power. This is due to the fact that the exit pupil of the telescope (the beam of light exiting the eyepiece) is now larger than the average person's dark adapted pupil, and no more light can fit into the eye.

Highest useful magnification

The highest practical limit is different from the often used "highest theoretical magnification" specification. The "theoretical" limit generally is 50x the aperture of the scope in inches (2x the aperture in mm). So for example, an 80mm refractor is capable of 160x, and a 10" telescope is theoretically capable of 500x magnification.
But after approximately 300x, theory breaks down and real world problems take over. The atmosphere above us is constantly in motion, and it will distort the image seen through the telescope. This effect may not be noticeable at lower powers, but at higher powers the atmosphere will dramatically blur the object, reducing the quality of the image. On a good night (a night where the air above is steady and the stars aren't twinkling), the practical upper limit of a large telescope is 300x, even thought the theoretical limit may be much higher. This doesn't mean the scope will never be able to reach those higher "theoretical" powers - there will be that rare night where the atmosphere is perfectly still and the scope can be pushed past it's practical limit, but those nights will be few and far between.

Warranty

This warranty gives you specific legal rights. It is not intended to remove or restrict your other legal rights under applicable local consumer law; your state or national statutory consumer rights governing the sale of consumer goods remain fully applicable.

Orders received by noon Pacific Time for in-stock item the same business day. Order received after noon will ship the next business day. When an item is not in-stock we will ship it as soon as it becomes available. Typically in-stock items will ship first and backordered items will follow as soon as they are available. You have the option in check out to request that your order ship complete, if you'd prefer.

A per-item shipping charge (in addition to the standard shipping and handling charge) applies to this product due to its size and weight. This charge varies based on the shipping method.

The lightweight, compact design of the GoScope 80mm makes it perfect for the beginner and a great grab-and-go telescope. The red-dot finder makes it easy to locate objects in the night sky, and the 80mm allows you to see more than with the 70mm.

Having trouble viewing details on the Moons surface? This neutral-density eyepiece filter reduces glare so you can see more detail and surface features. The 1.25" Orion 13% Transmission Moon Filter is especially useful with large aperture telescopes.

Explore the Sun safely and enjoy sharp, high-contrast views of sunspots and more with this Deluxe Safety Film Solar Filter in a sturdy, thumbscrew equipped aluminum cell designed to fit telescope tubes with an outer diameter of 4.05" to 4.3".

If you are an avid astronomer you know that you should always use red light instead of white to help protet your night vision. The Orion RedBeam II LED Flashlight has adjustable brightness which lets you observe without ruining your night vision.

Need an easy way to start identifying constellations? The Orion Star Target Planisphere is the perfect telescope accessory! Designed for 30-50 degree North latitude and includes simple instructions and viewing tips. Just dial in the date and time.

If you only get one book to go along with your new telescope, make sure it's Turn Left at Orion! The perfect companion guide, it includes maps to nearly 100 of the best objects, and drawings depicting what they will look like through your telescope.

At Orion, we are committed to sharing our knowledge and passion for astronomy and astrophotography with the amateur astronomy community. Visit the Orion Community Center for in-depth information on telescopes, binoculars, and astrophotography. You can find astrophotography "how to" tips and share your best astronomy pictures here. Submit astronomy articles, events, and reviews, and even become a featured Orion customer!